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The biological clock of an hematophagous insect: Locomotor activity rhythms, circadian expression and downregulation after a blood meal
Author(s) -
Meireles-Filho Antonio C.A.,
da S. Rivas Gustavo B.,
Gesto João S.M.,
Machado Ricardo C.,
Britto Constança,
de Souza Nataly A.,
Peixoto Alexandre A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2005.11.031
Subject(s) - circadian rhythm , biology , drosophila melanogaster , circadian clock , clock , bacterial circadian rhythms , downregulation and upregulation , oscillating gene , period (music) , blood meal , timeless , per2 , sandfly , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , endocrinology , genetics , gene , zoology , parasite hosting , physics , world wide web , computer science , acoustics , leishmania
Despite the importance of circadian rhythms in vector‐borne disease transmission, very little is known about its molecular control in hematophagous insect vectors. In Drosophila melanogaster , a negative feedback loop of gene expression has been shown to contribute to the clock mechanism. Here, we describe some features of the circadian clock of the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis , a vector of visceral leishmaniasis. Compared to D. melanogaster , sandfly period and timeless , two negative elements of the feedback loop, show similar peaks of mRNA abundance. On the other hand, the expression of Clock (a positive transcription factor) differs between the two species, raising the possibility that the different phases of Clock expression could be associated with the observed differences in circadian activity rhythms. In addition, we show a reduction in locomotor activity after a blood meal, which is correlated with downregulation of period and timeless expression levels. Our results suggest that the circadian pacemaker and its control over the activity rhythms in this hematophagous insect are modulated by blood intake.